12/23/2021 0 Comments COUNT YOUR BLESSINGSIt is so intriguing how some songs, both melodies and lyrics, enter and stay inside us for our whole lives. They enter our hearts through a different portal than our school work, say trigonometry or physics, that fades away over time. Sometimes I think that you can define a “generation” by the songs they all learned when they were teenagers. When I was young, in the 1960s, the songs that entered into my being were from Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the larger folk music scene. I even bought a beginner guitar and learned how to play and sing some of the tunes. More than 50 years later, these words / tunes are still easily available with just a little prompting. No small wonder that I called my blog gratitude riffs. Then in my 20s, my musical tastes expanded, and I discovered the world of show and movie tunes. At this same time, I was learning about many religious and spiritual traditions with all their marvelous teachings. Somehow all of this blended for me, and I found similar truths in the rhymes and rhythms of Broadway and the movies. I took up the practice of learning some of these show songs, or at least stanzas or even snippets of them, and incorporated them in my life as you would a mantra or even an aphorism. Over the years, I expanded this practice and did my best to allow the deeper meaning of the words to penetrate. I reflected on how the teachings of the songs applied to my life and to life in general. I hoped that they might help me be the kind of person I wished to be. Today, as a Christmas / New Year present to both myself and you, I want to share one song that I have always loved. The song is Count Your Blessings by Irving Berlin. The short version of the story behind the song, taken from Wikipedia, is that Irving was experiencing insomnia. A quick note: The name Irving was very popular in the Jewish immigrant community between 1910 – 1920. It was the Americanized version of a Hebrew name usually starting with “I” or “Y”. In the case of Irving Berlin, his name was Israel. I feel an affection for this name because one of my uncles was named Irving. Along with the insomnia, Irving found that he was also having a serious bout of self-pity and belly-aching because he could not sleep. While complaining to his doctor, the doctor looked at him directly and said “speaking of doing something about your insomnia, did you ever try counting your blessings?” From this inspiration, Irving wrote the song that was then incorporated into the film “White Christmas” in 1954. In the movie, Bing Crosby sings it to and with Rosemary Clooney. First stanza When I’m worried and I can’t sleep I count my blessings instead of sheep And I fall asleep counting my blessings When my bankroll is getting small I think of when I had none at all And I fall asleep counting my blessings Second Stanza I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads And one by one I count them, as they slumber in their beds If you’re worried and you can’t sleep Just count your blessings instead of sheep And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings When I was younger, I was often anxious and really uncomfortable when I made “mistakes” of one sort or another. It influenced going to sleep at night but also interfered with my relationships. Thoughts would revolve in my head and my body would be tense. I had no easy way to either solve the problem at hand or let it go. On some occasions, the worry might be helpful and motivate me to take appropriate action, but for the most part, the thoughts simply ran on their own and looped. At Christmas time when I was 30 years old, I was watching the movie “White Christmas” on TV and the words of this song penetrated into my heart and mind. It was actually difficult to count my blessings at that time because I was in an agitated state. Catherine and I were recently married and our seemingly thoughtful “family financial plan” fell apart. We were just learning to be parents of our baby and each month we just about made it to pay our bills. We took in two borders to help us and it was unclear how this would work out. As I settled down a bit watching the movie, I realized I could easily find somethings that I took for granted, such as actually having all the basic necessities of life, being married to Catherine, having a healthy baby and be very appreciative for my many blessings. When I reflected on the second stanza, I would visualize a maternity ward full of little beings. The fate of any one of these babies was not yet determined, and I would send a wish for each one of them to thrive. And in so doing, my own perspective widened and my worries simply washed away. What has happened over the years is that “counting my blessings” has become my “default”. Pretty much whatever happens, I see the blessings or possible blessings. No doubt, it has been one of the most important transformative teachings of my life. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Note: I have attached the link of Bing Crosby singing to Rosemary Clooney in “White Christmas.” Romance from another era. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKxazgio2s
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |